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Black Confederates and African American Confederate
History
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| (LOC Photo) Not all African Americans involved in the Civil War served as teamsters or laborers. |
Black Confederates
By Shirley Farris Jones
murfreesboropost.com
Note: The writer gratefully acknowledges Zack Malpass, Murfreesboro SCV
Camp 33, for so generously sharing his extensive research, and to Dr. George Smith for providing both research and viewpoint.
February marks the beginning of Black History Month – a remembrance
of important people and events of African American origin that began in 1926.
There have been many major contributions to our nation and to our society
by black Americans some that have changed history – and are continuing to do so today. One area that has never received
the recognition it deserved and has even been over-looked to a certain degree was that of black Southerners who fought for
the Confederacy.
One would have to ask, “Why haven’t we heard more about them?”
Ed Bearss, National Park Service Historian Emeritus, made the following
statement: “I don’t want to call it a conspiracy to ignore the role of Blacks, both above and below the Mason-Dixon
line, but it was definitely a tendency that began around 1910.”
And, Historian Erwin L. Jordan, Jr., calls it a “cover-up” which
started back in 1865. He writes, “During my research on pension applications, I came across instances where black men
stated they were soldiers, but you can plainly see where ‘soldier’ is crossed out and ‘body servant’
or ‘teamster’ inserted.”
Another black historian, Roland Young says that “he is not surprised
that blacks fought ... some, if not most, would support their country, and that by doing so they were demonstrating that it
was possible to hate the system of slavery and love one’s country.”
This same principle was exhibited by African Americans who fought for the
colonies during the American Revolution, despite the fact that the British offered them freedom if they would fight for them.
Peter Jennings, an early settler of Rutherford County, was one of more than 5,000 black soldiers who fought for the colonies
in the war for Independence. In 1830 Jennings was listed as having built a house on the corner of Vine and Church streets,
which was also his bakery shop. There is a marker in the old City Cemetery commemorating his services in the Revolutionary
War, but the exact place of his burial is not known.
It has been estimated that more than 65,000 Southern blacks served in some
form or fashion in the Confederate ranks, and more than 13,000 of these “saw the elephant,” a term used to describe
meeting the enemy in combat. These black Confederates included both slaves and free men. The Confederate Congress did not
approve blacks to be officially enlisted as soldiers, except as musicians, until late in the war. But in the ranks it was
a different story. Many Confederate officers, ignoring the mandates of politicians, enlisted blacks with the simple criteria,
“Will you fight?” According to historian, Ervin Jordan, “biracial units were frequently organized by both
local and state militia commanders in response to immediate threats by Union troops.” As of February 1865, there were
1,150 black seamen who served in the Confederate Navy. One of these was among the last Confederates to surrender, aboard the
CSS Shenandoah in England, six months after the war ended.
However, Dr. George Smith has done extensive research on this subject as
well and based upon both Union and Confederate documents included in the Official War Records, it is his opinion that “Since
it was illegal for Blacks, either free or slave, to carry and bear arms, it is extraordinarily hard to believe there were
65,000 Blacks serving in Confederate ranks, with over 13,000 seeing combat. Closer to 100,000 freemen and slaves were impressed
under the numerous impressments acts. All the impressments acts clearly delineated slaves were to be used as teamsters, laborers,
hospital orderlies, cooks, etc.”
As the war was nearing its final days, the Confederacy took progressive
measures to build back its ranks with the creation of the Confederate Colored Troops, copied after the segregated northern
colored troops, but this idea came too late for any measure of success. CSA Maj. Gen. Patrick Cleburne, at the height of his
military career and recognizing the plight of the South’s dwindling supply of able-bodied men, made a bold proposal
in late 1863 to “drill and arm as many as 300,000 black slaves.” Included in this proposal was the idea to not
only free the blacks who volunteered, but their wives and children as well. Cleburne was quite disappointed that his idea
was not more readily embraced. However, in 1864, President Jefferson Davis, in an attempt to gain official recognition of
the Confederacy by Britain and France, did approve a plan that proposed the emancipation of slaves. But what actually passed
on March 13, 1865 was General Orders No. 14 which stated: “SEC. 2, that the General-in-Chief be authorized to organize
the said slaves into companies, battalions, regiments, and brigades, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of
War may prescribe, and to be commanded by such officers as the President may appoint. ... that nothing in this act shall be
construed to authorize a change in the relation which the said slaves shall bear toward their owners, except by consent of
the owners and of the states in which they may reside, and in pursuance of the laws thereof.” This occurred just one
month before the end of the war and by this point, there was no time, no munitions, no supplies, no uniforms, no nothing,
for it to ever come to fruition. It is unclear whether the wages would go to the slaves or to the owners.
Contrary to what a lot of people believe, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation,
which went into effect in January of 1863, stated that only those slaves held “within any State or designated part of
a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States” would be freed and those slaves in
states “not in rebellion” were not affected.
Free black men served the Confederacy as soldiers, teamsters, musicians,
and cooks. They earned the same pay for their service as did white Confederate privates, which, in the Union Army, was not
the case. They also earned the wrath of their fellow black men of the North. Ex-slave Frederick Douglas commented: “There
are at the present moment, many colored men in the Confederate Army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but
as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down ... and do all that
soldiers may do to destroy the Federal Government.” Horace Greeley, observing the differences between the two warring
armies, commented: “For more than two years, Negroes have been extensively employed in belligerent operations by the
Confederacy. They have been embodied and drilled as rebel soldiers and had paraded with white troops at a time when this would
not have been tolerated in the armies of the Union.”
Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, who was a slave trader before the war, had
both slaves and free men serving in units under his command. After the war, Forrest said of the black men who served under
him, “These boys stayed with me ... and better Confederates did not live.” And, in an address given by Col. William
Sanford, at the Confederate Veterans Reunion of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry Regiment of Cavalry, Forrest’s Corps, at Columbia
on September 22, 1876, Col. Sanford said: “And to you, our colored friends ... we say welcome. We can never forget your
faithfulness in the darkest hours of our lives. We tender to you our hearty respect and love, for you never faltered in your
duty nor betrayed your trust.”
When Forrest made his raid on Murfreesboro on July 13, 1862, there is documentation
regarding the participation of Black Confederates according to Col. Parkhurst’s report (Ninth Michigan Infantry) included
in the Federal Official Records. He wrote: “The forces attacking my camp were the First Regiment Texas Rangers, Colonel
Wharton, and a battalion of the First Georgia Rangers, Colonel Morrison, and a large number of citizens of Rutherford County,
many of whom had recently taken the oath of allegiance to the United States Government. There were also quite a number of
negroes attached to the Texas and Georgia troops, who were armed and equipped, and took part in the several engagements with
my forces during the day.”
Southern generals owned slaves but northern generals owned them as well.
Gen. Ulysses Grant’s slaves had to wait for the Thirteenth Amendment for freedom. When asked why he didn’t free
his slaves earlier, General Grant replied, “Good help is so hard to come by these days.” In February of 1865,
Grant in fact ordered the capture of “all the Negro men ... before the enemy can put them in their ranks.” And
Frederick Douglas warned President Lincoln that unless slaves were guaranteed freedom (those in Union controlled areas were
still slaves) and land bounties, “They would take up arms for the rebels.”
With the South’s surrender, men stacked arms and went home. Many had
no home to go to. During the early 1900s, many members of the United Confederate Veterans advocated awarding former slaves
rural acreage and a home. There was hope that justice could still be served to those slaves who were once falsely promised
“forty acres and a mule.” In 1913, this plan was printed and promoted by the Confederate Veteran Magazine, as
“the right thing to do.” There was much gratitude toward former slaves, which stated, “thousands were loyal,
to the last degree,” now living with total poverty in the big cities. Regrettably, this proposal fell on deaf ears on
Capitol Hill.
In 1891, Tennessee began granting pensions to Confederate veterans. The
Board of Pension Examiners was established to determine if those applying for pensions were eligible. Eligibility requirements
included an inability to support oneself, honorable separation from the service and residence in the state for one year prior
to application. Widow’s pensions were first issued in 1905. These applications show place of birth for widow and soldier,
and information about their children. Proof of marriage was required. The board maintained three separate rolls: soldiers’
roll, widows’ roll and African-American soldiers’ roll. The following notice appeared on the “Colored Man’s
Application for Pension.”
“The Negros’ pension law passed by the Tennessee Legislature,
provides that Negros Pensioned by this Act must have been bona fide residents of this State three years if they served with
a Tennessee Command, and ten years if they served with a command from any other State. They must have remained with the army
until the close of the war, unless legally relieved from service. They must be indigent. Unless you come clearly under the
law, it is useless to file an application.”
Of those Black Southerners who wore Confederate Gray, only those surviving
to pension age, or were fortunate enough to overcome postwar anti-Negro prejudice, even stood a chance of receiving a pension.
The pension files were controlled by State authority, and were often subject to a local county review board. Of the 290 people
represented on the Tennessee Colored Pension Application for CSA Service, apparently 267 pensions were granted. The following
14 pension applications were from Rutherford County:
Avant, Alfred Scott -born in Rutherford County, in 1852; application
rejected
Averitt, Albert – born in Rutherford County, in 1843, claimed service with the 18th Tennessee Infantry Co.
C, application accepted
Clayton, Sam – born in Rutherford County, about 1848, claimed service with the 23rd Inf.,
application disposition unknown
Kirk, Sam – born in Rutherford County, claimed Hospital service, application accepted
Ledbetter,
Ralph - born in Rutherford County, application disposition unknown
Maney, James – born Murfreesboro in 1843, claimed
service with General Money’s Headquarters, application accepted
McCulloch, Ned - born. in Rutherford County, claimed
service with the 17th Tennessee Inf., application accepted
Miller, William – born in Rutherford County, in 1847,
claimed service with the 11th Tennessee Cavalry, application rejected
Nelson, Henry – born in Rutherford County,
in 1842, claimed service with the 19th and 20th Tennessee Cavalry, application disposition unknown
Ransom, Alexander –
born in Rutherford County, in 1840, claimed service with the 24th Tennessee Infantry, Co. A, application accepted
Ready,
Albert – born in Rutherford County, in 1848, claimed service with the 23rd Tennessee Infantry, application accepted
Rucker,
William – born in Rutherford County, in 1842, claimed service with the 2nd Tennessee Infantry, application accepted
Seay,
Frank M., born in Rutherford County, on Jan. 25, 1843; claimed service with the 24th Tennessee Infantry, Co C., application
accepted
Windrow, Wyatt, born in Rutherford County, , organization unknown, application accepted
Another pension granted,
though not from Rutherford County, was that of Louis Napoleon Nelson, a member of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, which was part
of Forrest’s command. Louis Nelson was born in Lauderdale County and originally went off to war as a bodyguard for E.
R. and Sydney Oldham. E. R. Oldham became a general in the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, Co. M.
According to his grandson, Nelson Winbush, a native of Ripley, Tennessee,
and a retired high school assistant principal now living in Florida, his grandfather died when he was five years old at the
age of 88.
“He was buried with great ceremony, dressed in full Confederate uniform with a Battle Flag draping his
coffin. Sons of Confederate Veterans members came from three states to see him off on his last campaign. ... He had been to
39 SCV reunions before he died.”
Nelson Winbush, like his grandfather and himself a member of SCV, speaks
proudly of having the flag, which draped his grandfather’s coffin, in his possession. “My grandfather was there
... 1861 -1865 ... at Shiloh, Lookout Mountain, Brice’s Crossroads, and Vicksburg. He was originally a cook and forager,
... but when they needed him, he fought just like anybody else.”
So why did so many Southern black men choose to wear Confederate gray?
Blacks fought for the very same reason as whites – to defend their
homes and their families. Historical data can sometimes be a matter of interpretation and the facts can sometimes contradict
themselves. But, one must remember that day and time and judge it accordingly, for a man of the 19th century should not be
compared to a man of today’s world and evaluated by current standards. Regardless of how black Southerners participated,
whether voluntary or involuntary, one thing is certain: the thousands of slaves and free persons of color in the South are
the most forgotten group of the Civil War. They, too, should be remembered for the suffering, sacrifices and contributions
they made.
Recommended Reading:
Black Confederates. Description: The discovery that more than 'a few African Americans' served the
Confederacy in the Civil War -- and not just as servants -- will strike some readers as contradictory, unnatural, and politically
incorrect. Certainly, most historians have ignored the subject. But history is history: One must deal with past reality, not
subordinate the facts to modern political positions. In researching the subject, Barrow called on the readership of Confederate
Veteran, the official publication of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, to submit information on black Southern loyalists.
Continued below...
The results
were large and diverse, based on official reports, pension applications, family correspondence, newspaper articles, and published
memoirs, and from that came this anthology of historical documents and accounts.
Recommended
Reading: Black Confederates and Afro-Yankees
in Civil War Virginia (A Nation Divided : New Studies in
Civil War History). Description: Despite its unwieldy
title, this stout volume is an invaluable addition to African American and Civil War history, a meticulously researched and
detailed collective portrait of the nonwhite population of Virginia,
the leading state of the Confederacy. Beginning with a large, capable, and diverse African American population, free as well
as slave, Virginia found itself, as fear warred with the need for labor, both increasing and decreasing restrictions on it.
Continued...
Recommended
Reading: Black Southerners in Confederate
Armies. Description: The little-known story of black Confederate soldiers. Large
numbers of slaves and freedmen served the South, and in some cases as soldiers and sailors for the Confederacy. This book
uses official records, newspaper articles, and veterans' accounts to tell the enlightening stories of these Black Confederates.
As the debate over the role of African-Americans in Confederate armies continues, this well-researched collection serves as
a significant contribution to the ongoing discussion about the numbers of black Southerners involved and their significant
history.
Recommended
Reading: Black Profiles in Courage: A Legacy of African-American Achievement. Description: With all the
flair of his last-second game-winning sky hooks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar delivers a well-written and important collection highlighting
the lives of America's greatest black
heroes. Taking his title cue from John Kennedy's Profiles in Courage, Abdul-Jabbar brings to life the exploits of a wide variety
of African Americans, including Estevanico, a Moorish slave who discovered Arizona and New Mexico; Cinque, a kidnapped African
slave who led a mutiny aboard the slave ship Amistad and later won his freedom in the U.S.; and Harriet Tubman, who brought
hundreds of slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. Continued below...
In a time when
the media beams negative images of African Americans around the world, Black Profiles in Courage is indispensable for young
adults of other races as well as African-American youth, showing that attributes like courage are not coded by color. For
those young blacks who feel distant from America because of racism, books like this are a small but potent antidote against
prejudice, reminding them of the important contributions African Americans have made to their country.
Recommended
Reading:
"Why I Wave the Confederate Flag, Written
by a Black Man". Description: Congress shall make no law respecting and establishment of religion, or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. "This book is about truth and passion." Continued below...
What makes
this book dangerous is its raw honesty. Hervey lifts the veil of Black
decadence at the same time he exposes the lies and political correctness of modern day America. Hervey states: "I show
that the Civil War was not fought over slavery and that the demise of my race in America is not of the White man, but rather of our own making. In this book, I
show how Blacks in America ran away from
physical bondage to one far worse-- mental bondage."
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